The Oldsmobile Custom Cruiser Is an Old-School Family Wagon
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Date: 2019-10-25
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Comments and reviews: 10
Damon Mason
Mr. Doug DeMuro: Many salutations I have watched several of your videos reviewing various vehicles; still, for you to review the Oldsmobile Custom Cruiser like you have done here. .. that is a nice trip down memory lane as I was born in September 1977. As a kid in the 1980s, I saw this vehicle and its siblings all over the place; even though my family never owned one of these vehicles, seeing this 1985 Custom Cruiser up close and analyzed in detail galvanizes me with nostalgia -- a moment of comfort considering the upheaval I have experienced in recent days. I have a lot of gratitude for that -- and an entreaty for your assistance. Your video review of the Oldsmobile Custom Cruiser has convinced me that I should vector my efforts toward a station wagon -- and I would love for it to be a stickshift; thing is, even though I can always ask Google to show me data about various kinds of station wagons, this is only where the search begins. How do I know which station wagon has the biggest cargo capacity? How do I know which station wagon gets the bigger bang for the buck when it comes to fuel mileage? After all, gasoline is not cheap I further believe that the United States needs to be honest about all of the diplomatic/military logistics necessary to maintain the consistent access to petroleum like how Europe is doing. But I digress; back to this. How do I know which station wagon has the fewest emergency maintenance requirements and has predictable proactive maintenance requirements over its life span? Another dimension that this quest has taken is that the United States car market has taken quite a dim view of the station wagon -- both the actual vehicle and even the very noun itself -- which brings up the likely possibility that I will not get what I am after; should that come to pass, what alternatives do I have? Most of my searching has been very vocal that the sports utility vehicle and the minivan are both the way to go here in the United States but does not answer the question which I asked before: cargo capacity, fuel mileage, maintenance requirements. .. which minivan/SUV comes the closest to the station wagon I am after? There do exist sports utility vehicles that are monsters; while they can haul a lot of cargo, their fuel requirements and maintenance requirements are not kind to my wallet. Before I had made up my mind to sit down and write this correspondence, I watched your video review of the 1997 Toyota Previa; the only flaw I saw with that vehicle is that it was not a stickshift. I do believe that Toyota made a big mistake replacing the Previa with the Sienna; unfortunately, I have firmly had demonstrated that my free will has a finite jurisdiction particularly in the period from August 2017 to April 2019. The automatic transmission is impressive from an engineering standpoint; still, it also lowers the bar to where anybody can drive (which I do not believe is always a good thing from a safety standpoint) and really robs you of that sense of ownership. Suppose that we have to conduct a highway entry. If we were in an automatic transmission vehicle, we would have to first come off the accelerator and then floorboard it in order to accelerate into matching the traffic already on the highway which does not really take a lot of skill. Executing the aforementioned rapid acceleration in a manual transmission vehicle would require downshifting into third gear (or possibly second gear); still, assuming that the driver has foreseen this necessity and is of dexterity to re-engage the clutch after already having conducted a rev-match, the highway entry is now a thing of beauty because of the driver having taken ownership of the whole maneuver. I really would appreciate your sage counsel about where to direct my efforts toward the sought-after station wagon and knowing what I can do if the former turns out to not be possible. I have some hefty trepidations about those full-size SUVs; it is almost like an attempt to compensate for an inadequacy or insecurity on the part of the owner.
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Mr. Doug DeMuro: Many salutations I have watched several of your videos reviewing various vehicles; still, for you to review the Oldsmobile Custom Cruiser like you have done here. .. that is a nice trip down memory lane as I was born in September 1977. As a kid in the 1980s, I saw this vehicle and its siblings all over the place; even though my family never owned one of these vehicles, seeing this 1985 Custom Cruiser up close and analyzed in detail galvanizes me with nostalgia -- a moment of comfort considering the upheaval I have experienced in recent days. I have a lot of gratitude for that -- and an entreaty for your assistance. Your video review of the Oldsmobile Custom Cruiser has convinced me that I should vector my efforts toward a station wagon -- and I would love for it to be a stickshift; thing is, even though I can always ask Google to show me data about various kinds of station wagons, this is only where the search begins. How do I know which station wagon has the biggest cargo capacity? How do I know which station wagon gets the bigger bang for the buck when it comes to fuel mileage? After all, gasoline is not cheap I further believe that the United States needs to be honest about all of the diplomatic/military logistics necessary to maintain the consistent access to petroleum like how Europe is doing. But I digress; back to this. How do I know which station wagon has the fewest emergency maintenance requirements and has predictable proactive maintenance requirements over its life span? Another dimension that this quest has taken is that the United States car market has taken quite a dim view of the station wagon -- both the actual vehicle and even the very noun itself -- which brings up the likely possibility that I will not get what I am after; should that come to pass, what alternatives do I have? Most of my searching has been very vocal that the sports utility vehicle and the minivan are both the way to go here in the United States but does not answer the question which I asked before: cargo capacity, fuel mileage, maintenance requirements. .. which minivan/SUV comes the closest to the station wagon I am after? There do exist sports utility vehicles that are monsters; while they can haul a lot of cargo, their fuel requirements and maintenance requirements are not kind to my wallet. Before I had made up my mind to sit down and write this correspondence, I watched your video review of the 1997 Toyota Previa; the only flaw I saw with that vehicle is that it was not a stickshift. I do believe that Toyota made a big mistake replacing the Previa with the Sienna; unfortunately, I have firmly had demonstrated that my free will has a finite jurisdiction particularly in the period from August 2017 to April 2019. The automatic transmission is impressive from an engineering standpoint; still, it also lowers the bar to where anybody can drive (which I do not believe is always a good thing from a safety standpoint) and really robs you of that sense of ownership. Suppose that we have to conduct a highway entry. If we were in an automatic transmission vehicle, we would have to first come off the accelerator and then floorboard it in order to accelerate into matching the traffic already on the highway which does not really take a lot of skill. Executing the aforementioned rapid acceleration in a manual transmission vehicle would require downshifting into third gear (or possibly second gear); still, assuming that the driver has foreseen this necessity and is of dexterity to re-engage the clutch after already having conducted a rev-match, the highway entry is now a thing of beauty because of the driver having taken ownership of the whole maneuver. I really would appreciate your sage counsel about where to direct my efforts toward the sought-after station wagon and knowing what I can do if the former turns out to not be possible. I have some hefty trepidations about those full-size SUVs; it is almost like an attempt to compensate for an inadequacy or insecurity on the part of the owner.
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John Ron Walter
The Oldsmobile Custom Cruiser was exemplary of why Japanese cars would take over American roads. All of the American car manufacturers made junk and excuses. They were oblivious to the plight and desires of the consumers and antagonistic towards government oversight and their workers. The Japanese cars would actually start on a cold day and not only warm your feet but keep away ice and fog on the windscreen. They got amazing fuel mileage, were cheap to operate which exposed another huge flaw in American cars of that time, Longevity or rather lack of it. Looking back through rose colored beer goggles, it is easy to be nostalgic. The truth is that people were pissed off as hell at having to buy new cars every two years which would be in the shop every other month. Oh and were they ugly.
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The Oldsmobile Custom Cruiser was exemplary of why Japanese cars would take over American roads. All of the American car manufacturers made junk and excuses. They were oblivious to the plight and desires of the consumers and antagonistic towards government oversight and their workers. The Japanese cars would actually start on a cold day and not only warm your feet but keep away ice and fog on the windscreen. They got amazing fuel mileage, were cheap to operate which exposed another huge flaw in American cars of that time, Longevity or rather lack of it. Looking back through rose colored beer goggles, it is easy to be nostalgic. The truth is that people were pissed off as hell at having to buy new cars every two years which would be in the shop every other month. Oh and were they ugly.
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Shatners Spawn
We had one of these when I was a kid (it was a 1984 second-gen, anyway. I was almost 8 years old when my family took this thing on a cross-country trip from Camp LeJeune, NC to Camp Pendleton, CA. A few years later, we took another trip from CA to Long Island, NY in this beast. Three kids - and we never felt crowded. And Doug is 100% right about that rear-facing seat being the coolest thing ever as a child. We actually tended to use the forward-facing bench as a sleeping area during the trips. I have nothing but fond memories of this car; but then again I was just a young passenger and not the dude driving it thousands of miles with three kids bouncing around the back; )
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We had one of these when I was a kid (it was a 1984 second-gen, anyway. I was almost 8 years old when my family took this thing on a cross-country trip from Camp LeJeune, NC to Camp Pendleton, CA. A few years later, we took another trip from CA to Long Island, NY in this beast. Three kids - and we never felt crowded. And Doug is 100% right about that rear-facing seat being the coolest thing ever as a child. We actually tended to use the forward-facing bench as a sleeping area during the trips. I have nothing but fond memories of this car; but then again I was just a young passenger and not the dude driving it thousands of miles with three kids bouncing around the back; )
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Chad Pugh
Mom had one when I was little. I remember riding in the back, rolling around on top of the laid down seats. It was so fckn hot back there. I didn't care. I was 6 and having a blast on the way to the grocery store to rent a few tapes for the weekend. I always chose Commando starring Schwarzenegger. We were broke and moved A LOT. So we used the car to haul sht around while Mom was between Husbands. We might have even lived in it for a time. This video brought back so many memories. THX Doug.
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Mom had one when I was little. I remember riding in the back, rolling around on top of the laid down seats. It was so fckn hot back there. I didn't care. I was 6 and having a blast on the way to the grocery store to rent a few tapes for the weekend. I always chose Commando starring Schwarzenegger. We were broke and moved A LOT. So we used the car to haul sht around while Mom was between Husbands. We might have even lived in it for a time. This video brought back so many memories. THX Doug.
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Maestör Rasanen
Thanks for the awesome videos dude Only complaint is that there's something wrong with our audio. It really boosts in the beginning of every segment which you do. My most friendly request is that you fix that. There seems to be some sort of automation in the microphone receiver which boosts first and then sets on the selected audio volume. Otherwise I'm hooked I love these old cars you do. The Yugo video made me laugh out loud
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Thanks for the awesome videos dude Only complaint is that there's something wrong with our audio. It really boosts in the beginning of every segment which you do. My most friendly request is that you fix that. There seems to be some sort of automation in the microphone receiver which boosts first and then sets on the selected audio volume. Otherwise I'm hooked I love these old cars you do. The Yugo video made me laugh out loud
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chuckschilling
At 11: 42 -> this is EXACTLY what my best friend's family did - their father was a salesman for Georgia Pacific and used to haul plywood and other materials around in their wagon, then used their wagon to haul the five sons to swimming practice. We frequently sat on top of the plywood sheets and splinters on places we couldn't reach were a common consequence.
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At 11: 42 -> this is EXACTLY what my best friend's family did - their father was a salesman for Georgia Pacific and used to haul plywood and other materials around in their wagon, then used their wagon to haul the five sons to swimming practice. We frequently sat on top of the plywood sheets and splinters on places we couldn't reach were a common consequence.
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Professional Commenter
I have a a similar Olds that I drive as a daily driver. Its a 96 Olds Cutlass Ciera. Even has the cool ass rumble seats in the very back that face the rear of the car. Best 1000 bucks I've spent in the last two years as it has under 150k miles on the clock, I'll most likely get another five years out of this car and I've had it for two already.
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I have a a similar Olds that I drive as a daily driver. Its a 96 Olds Cutlass Ciera. Even has the cool ass rumble seats in the very back that face the rear of the car. Best 1000 bucks I've spent in the last two years as it has under 150k miles on the clock, I'll most likely get another five years out of this car and I've had it for two already.
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joemackey1950
not as fast as a sports car. Wasn't meant to be a sports car. It was a family grocery hauler. As to the bumpers, thank the government for that. They mandated those huge things which auto companies had to work around. I would love to see a vid 30 years from now on some old school 2019 top of the SUV and make fun of it.
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not as fast as a sports car. Wasn't meant to be a sports car. It was a family grocery hauler. As to the bumpers, thank the government for that. They mandated those huge things which auto companies had to work around. I would love to see a vid 30 years from now on some old school 2019 top of the SUV and make fun of it.
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Rodati Gaming
My father bought one of these when he made a roadtrip in america. He and his friend put a matras in the trunk because they where to broke to sleep in a diffrent hotel every night. Once they got arrestet because they dove into a small airport and didnt realize. THE JUST SLEEP IN A CAR ON A AIRSTRIP. HOW COOL IS THAT
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My father bought one of these when he made a roadtrip in america. He and his friend put a matras in the trunk because they where to broke to sleep in a diffrent hotel every night. Once they got arrestet because they dove into a small airport and didnt realize. THE JUST SLEEP IN A CAR ON A AIRSTRIP. HOW COOL IS THAT
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Dj Luminol
If Mitt Romney had one of those he might have been president. He had to go on vacation with his dog strapped to the roof because he ran out of storage space. Had he owned a family truckster he could have stuffed woofy in that weird cubby hole trunk thing in the back and never would have drawn the scorn of the press.
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If Mitt Romney had one of those he might have been president. He had to go on vacation with his dog strapped to the roof because he ran out of storage space. Had he owned a family truckster he could have stuffed woofy in that weird cubby hole trunk thing in the back and never would have drawn the scorn of the press.
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